Manager and Leader
Actually leadership is a quality. Leadership is an intangible - a charismatic component that some people have and others simply don't. The difference between being a manager and being a leader is simple. Management is a career. Leadership is a calling. You don't have to be tall, well-spoken and good looking to be a successful leader. You don't have to have that "special something" to fulfill the leadership role. What you have to have is clearly defined convictions - and, more importantly, the courage of your convictions to see them manifest into reality.
What the people expect from a leader is approachability and trust. Whether the group you oversee is called employees, associates, co-workers, teammates or anything else, what they are looking for is someone in whom they can place their trust. Someone they know is working for the greater good - for them and for the organization.
Somebody to follow is their target. Because it is only when you have followers -people who have placed their trust in you - that you know you have moved into that leadership role. And the way you see it is that your organization is transcending all previous quality, productivity, innovation and revenue achievements. You're operating at such a high level of efficiency that you're giving budget back to the corporation - and you're still beating your goals. You're achieving what you always dreamed could be achieved. And not only that, but it's actually easier than you thought.
A leader is the one who always is with his followers. Because you're a leader. Because the classic command and control management model - which, contrary to popular belief still applies even in our most progressive 21st century companies - is no longer in play. Sure, controls are in place. Sure, you're solving problems that arise. But it's not just you alone. You have the people in whom you've put your trust - and who have happily and safely reciprocated - to help you create organizational achievement.
Some steps for an efficient leadership
Discover yourself and your convictions. Clarify and codify for yourself what you believe in. Then, take a nice step back and see how those beliefs are playing out in the organization as it stands today.
Some questions you have to ask to yourself to know whether you are an efficient leader:
1. Where are the disconnections within my immediate organization and for myself with the larger enterprise?
2. What is important to me? What are my values, beliefs, and ethics?
3. Is the larger organization designed to support my values, beliefs and ethics?
4. What additional assistance do my employees need to succeed ¡V and how can I ensure that they get everything they need and more to create personal and organizational success?
5. How am I demonstrating those values, beliefs and ethics every day?
6. What can I do to change how I behave with my immediate organization to demonstrate my belief in them?
This is a periodic reality and cross-check to see how you're doing in your own context and, as you begin making changes, in the larger context. Because, while you can and should expect yourself and your immediate organization to make changes, you cannot - and should not - expect the larger organization to immediately respond or follow suit. This is a personal journey designed to assist you in being more - and helping those whose lives you touch to be more.
Conclusion
Identify your convictions and begin aligning your behaviors with those convictions, you are going to need to take steps to build a collaborative culture based on where you're going. Seek input from your employees about what they need and what their dreams are for their jobs and the larger organization. (They have them, you know). Talk to internal and external customers and suppliers about their needs. Find out what more and what else you can be and do to create success.
Involve yourself in conversation and communication. Sit back. Listen. Take in as much as you can. Look for trends and themes. Find out where the possibilities are - the connects and disconnects that you can effect.
Wish you all the best to be an efficient leader!
